WATCH: Jim Kelly's Emotional Speech at ESPY Awards

posted by Newsradio WHAM 1180 -
Jul 19, 2018

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly gave an emotional speech while accepting the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance during the ESPYS in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Kelly thanked his family and also thanked his son Hunter who died in 2005 at eight years old to Krabbie Disease. He said that Hunter taught him the definition of toughness and never giving up because he never gave up.

The Hall of Famer was diagnosed with cancer in his jaw in 2013 and underwent surgery. Kelly underwent additional treatments when the cancer spread to his nasal cavities. The 58-year-old announced in February his oral cancer returned after being declared cancer free in 2016.

The Jimmy V Perseverance Award was named after the late college basketball coach, Jimmy Valvano, who passed away from cancer in 1993. The award is given to a "deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through physical perseverance and determination."